Thursday, October 24, 2013

Judges do it in chambers; Drinkers do it repeatedly.

A Duryea woman who was indecently assaulted by a federal administrative
law judge (ALJ) with the Social Security Administration has filed a $3
million complaint against two federal agencies she claims failed to
protect her from the abuse. Duryea is a borough of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, 9 miles south of Scranton.
Attorney Larry Moran filed a complaint Wednesday 23 October seeking damages in
connection with an incident in July 2012 involving Judge Sridhar Boini
at the Social Security Administration's office on Lackawanna Avenue in
Scranton.
According to the court documents, the woman, who as employed by an
outside agency as a security guard, was summoned into a hearing room by
Judge Boini. Once there, the judge, who reviews Social Security
disability cases, made small talk with her, then grabbed her breast and
attempted to kiss her against her will.
The woman immediately reported the incident to Scranton police. An
investigation revealed Judge Boini was previously accused in 2011 of
indecently assaulting another woman, who also alleged he had grabbed her
breast. That woman reported the incident to the Social Security
Administration, but opted not to pursue criminal charges at that time.

Judge Boini was charged in November 2012, with one count of simple
assault and two counts of indecent assault for the incidents involving
both women. He pleaded guilty in January to the simple assault charge
involving the Duryea woman and was sentenced to three months house
arrest and two years probation. The other charges involving the second
woman were dropped in exchange for the plea.
In a phone interview, Mr. Moran, of the law firm Lenahan & Dempsey,
said the fact federal Social Security officials had knowledge Judge Boini was
previously accused of assault makes his client's case all the more
egregious.
"They shared the responsibility of protecting our client from harm,
especially when they had notice this judge engaged in abhorrent,
outrageous behavior before," Mr. Moran said. "He abused his authority
and power as a judge and a federal agency failed to protect her."
Mr. Moran said his client has suffered greatly since the incident,
developing depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. His
claim for damages was filed through an administrative action directly
with the Social Security Administration, which employed Judge Boini, and
the federal Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for
protecting federal property.
The two departments have six months to review the claim to determine if
they will pay the requested damages. If they decline the claim or do
not respond, the next step would be to file a federal lawsuit, Mr. Moran
said.
Judge Boini could not be reached for comment. At an investigative
hearing held by the Social Security Administration, the judge said he
had been drinking heavily the day of the incident and did not realize
what he was doing, according to a transcript of the hearing included
with Mr. Moran's claim for damages.Judge Boini was suspended after he was charged. It could not be
determined Wednesday 23 October whether he remains employed by the Social Security
Administration.
In August, the Social Security's Chief Administrative Law at the Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, Judge Debra Bice
sought to have Judge Boini removed from office by filing a complaint
with the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), a quasi-judicial agency that
reviews disciplinary actions against federal employees. No information
on the outcome of that action could be obtained Wednesday.
Mr. Moran said he spoke to an attorney with the Social Security Administration and was advised it is still pending.

About Me

I am a thoroughly civilized, humane, cosmopolitan, polished, restrained, enjoyable, entertaining Info-maniac. I am a staunch exponent of individual dignity, freedom, equal access to legal services, and equal protection of the law. Here I hope to demonstrate my emotional restraint, humbleness of sentiment, psychological subtlety, lucid style, and simple language, without evading political reality or eternal truth. Daily I am excited that I have the right to create the beginning of a new self and to challenge old habits and attitudes I no longer choose to accept. I choose to relax in the present with my direction firmly in mind. I have an enormous capacity for creative and clever ideas and thoughts. It is phenomenal what I can do. I am capable of so much learning and absorbing a lot of information. My potential is a source of pleasant surprise for me.
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